Welcome to Titan!
by narutobleachfan101
Summary: Meet Eren Jaeger. A first-year college student in desperate need of money. He decides to a job. Fortunately–or unfortunately–the teen lands a job at the most popular restaurant in the area–Titan. Was this the best choice? Eventual Maruere
1. Prologue

Note: Beware. Crappy writing. That said, please enjoy!

* * *

_**Welcome to Titan!**_

A long sigh escaped from a teenager roaming the streets. People of all nationalities and age, height and weight, either walked or stood on the busy sidewalks. Cars roamed on the streets, several honks in the distance.

Another sigh in the air. It was that moment that Eren Jaeger thought the world was out to get him. He stopped to stare up at the night sky. He breathed out, staring his visible breath in the air. As his hands were shoved inside his coat pockets, many thoughts ran through his head.

_Ah…I need to find a job. Mikasa and I can't keep relying on our savings._

His adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman, lived far away in northern California, as a student of USF. She was reluctant to leave her idiot brother alone, and it took a lot of convincing to pursue her dream major: nursing. He couldn't follow her due to his lousy grades in high school. He, along with some of his friends from high school, attended a college in southern California that was near the beach. Sadly, it was the middle of January for anyone to swim in the freezing ass waters. The admission was cheap, but the classes were a whole lot better than the ones at high school. Plus, he only attended classes for a few hours between Monday and Thursday.

Right now, instead of playing Assassin's Creed on the PS3 back at the dorms, Eren was searching for a job. He used to work as a custodian, but waking up early in the morning every day was too much. It needed to be more reasonable within his limits. Unfortunately, any place that was hiring didn't seemed impressed with his resume.

His hands whipped out and ruffled his hair.

"Goddammit! How the hell am I supposed to find a job in this time and age!?" Realizing he was yelling in the middle of the sidewalk and receiving many stares, a blush decorated his cheeks and he shoved his hands in his pockets and went his way.

Eren kept roaming through the outdoor mall, trying to find any place with a "Help Wanted" sign on the window.

Heaven somehow received his call as teal green eyes saw that sign. His body then flinched when he saw who was hiring.

It was a popular restaurant called Titan–or at least, he assumed it was popular due to how many people were coming and leaving. The restaurant was a big two story building. Feeling intimidated, he wanted to turn around and leave. There was no way he was suited for restaurant work.

But…

It was the new year. Eren wanted to prove that he could be more responsible. Taking a deep breath, the teen grabbed the silver handlebar and opened it.

"Welcome to Titan!" A young woman with light ginger hair and amber eyes beamed at him. He flinched, nodding towards her direction. She wore a button up white long-sleeved shirt and black slacks. There was pin with her name on it.

_Petra…Ral?_

"Where would you like to sit?" She asked.

"Ah, actually…" Eren turned around and pointed at the "Help Wanted" sign. "I'm here to apply."

Petra's smile grew brighter.

"That's great!" She walked towards a table near the entrance. "Please wait here while I get the application form!"

Eren nodded, sitting down, and watched the server go. He looked around the restaurant. He seemed a lot bigger inside than on the outside. The lighting was dimmed, but not dark enough for anyone to bump into anything.

"Here!" Eren was surprised when a piece of paper slid in his view. Petra gave him a pen and left him alone to fill it out. He struggled to describe himself as…well as an attractive applicant. He heard horse-face's voice ringing in his mind.

_"What? You getting another job? You were fired from your last one! Be more realistic."_

_"Shut it horse-face!"_

It took all of his self-control not to break the pen in two. As the teen continued filling the application form out, he didn't notice someone slipping into the seat across the table. He stopped and looked up. An old man with a fancy mustache sat across from him.

"Um…"

"A young man of few words?" Eren frowned.

"Huh?"

"My name is Dot Pixis. I own this restaurant."

Somewhere in Eren's mind, his thought process cracked.

"…what?"

"May I see that application form?" Eren felt his body go on auto-pilot. He handed the application form to the old man. Nervous wracked his body as the manager's eyes scanned through the information. His hands balled tightly in his lap. It felt like forever when the paper wrinkled against the table.

"I see you only had one job young man."

"Yes sir."

"What was the reason you were fired?" Eren flinched. It suddenly became harder to breath.

"Uh…I couldn't make it to work because I kept sleeping in."

"Hm…"

Eren could feel the disappointment settling in.

"What's your school schedule like?"

"I go to class on Monday to Thursday. They're mostly in the morning."

"I see…do you think you'll be able to work during the night shifts?"

"…eh?"

The manager smiled at the surprised teenager. "We recently fired one of our bussers because he couldn't meet the standards. Do you think you can handle it, Eren?"

A big swell of determination filled his entire being. Pixis was impressed to see such passion in the teal green eyes.

"Yes, I'll able to do my best."

"Okay!" The manager stood up, holding the paper. "You can come in next week on Monday at four o'clock. Wear a white shirt and black slacks. We'll train you and see how you do. Have a good evening." Pixis then walked away, as Eren stared at him in disbelief.

Was he just hired?

…

Excitement ripped through his body. A big smile appeared on his face.

"Yes!"

"That's great!" Eren flinched when Petra appeared out of nowhere. He had a slight heart attack and probably would have yelled at her. But he was just too happy on being accepted. She smiled at him, patting his back. "Do your best. Oh right!" The server went to the front desk, grabbed something, and went back to Eren. She handed him a piece of paper.

"This is our menu. Our manager forgot to tell you that you should memorize the items."

"Memorize?"

"Yes," she said. "I think our manager thinks you'll be a great server."

"Oh…"

Reality suddenly crashed at Eren.

The teenager had A.D.D.

…crap.


	2. A Fated Meeting

**Note**: Yeah, I forgot to update this. I'm used to updating on Tumblr, but that's no excuse. Anyway, enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the AOT/SNK series. Just borrowing its characters for my amusement.

* * *

**_A Fated Meeting_**

Eren, despite the happiness of being in the workforce again, was downright nervous. What if he screwed up something? What if he forgot someone's order? What if–

So many what if questions ran through his head that he didn't notice Petra behind him. A smile appeared on her face. She tapped on his shoulder.

A scream pierced the air. She giggled as Eren turned around and frowned at her.

"Wha-What was that for?!"

"Sorry, but you were spacing out for a long time." The teen sighed.

"I'm just nervous." Petra patted his back.

"Don't worry Eren. You'll be fine!"

The two walked into Titan. Several employees greeted them as customers, but once they saw Petra, their voices became cheerier.

"Hey Petra." A man with a goatee stood behind the front desk. He noticed Eren standing next to her. "Who's that standing next to you?"

"Oh, this is Eren. He'll be training today!"

"A newbie huh? We need all the help after that crappy server," the man said. He walked towards Eren and held his hand out. "Hey, my name's Eld Jinn." The teen grabbed his hand and shook firmly. When their hands dropped to their sides, a new voice filled the air.

"Oi."

The new employee flinched at the deep voice from behind him and Petra. He turned around and saw a man smaller than him. He looked like he never slept in his life.

"Ah, Levi! Hello!" Petra greeted merrily. The man named Levi nodded towards her direction, moved around the two, and headed towards the back area.

"Ah, sorry about him," Eld said. "He's the head server at Titan. He's…well, you'll see for yourself."

Eren raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. Soon, he met all of the other employees. They all had interesting personalities.

The other servers were Gunther Schultz and Aluo Bozado. Petra dragged him to the kitchen. He suddenly felt evil glares, and shivers ran down his back. He whipped his head around, wondering where the source was.

"Stop spacing out Eren. We're at the kitchen now."

It couldn't be called a kitchen anymore as smoke covered their eyes. The two coughed until someone opened the back door to let the smoke out.

"Hanji!"

"What? It's for the customers!"

Eren saw a concerned man hovering over a woman with her hair in a ponytail. Two other chefs leaned against the wall, either smiling or scowling at the first two chefs. One of them had blond hair, and the other had black hair.

"Ah, are we interrupting something?" Petra asked. All chefs shifted their attention. Suddenly, the ponytailed chef's eyes flashed at seeing Eren.

"Is that the new employee?" She pointed at him. When Petra nodded, the chef turned around, grabbing something, and faced them. She held a plate, and…the new employee couldn't tell what it was. He really couldn't. It was charred black.

"Would you like to try?"

"Huh?"

"Don't do it," the concerned chef said, standing behind the female chef.

"Shush Moblit! It's the greatest creation in this kitchen!" Eren wanted to make a good impression.

"Uh, okay." The teen took a spoon, scooped some of the charred food, and brought it to his mouth. His body remained still. A minute passed, and all of the other employees started to worry. Petra made the first move.

"Um, Eren." Her hand reached towards the teen's shoulder. When she tapped his shoulder, he fell forward. "Ah! Eren!"

"Hanji!" Moblit yelled at her.

"Oh dear," the blond chef said.

"And this was the new employee's first day." The chef with black hair remarked, walking towards the stove. "That's got to be a record."

"Eren, please wake up!" Petra shook the employee. "We'll be opening in a hour!"

"Eh? What happened?" Two other employees walked into the kitchen. They were bartenders of Titan. One of the bartenders had light brown hair, with his bangs parted in the middle. The other bartender had blond hair, with side bangs, and a blank expression.

"Oh, Mike, Nanaba! When did you two come in?" Hanji asked, ignoring the unconscious teen on the floor.

"We just arrived a few minutes," Mike said. He looked down and saw the new employee on the floor. He pointed at him while looking at black-haired and the blond chefs. "Hanji's knock-out cooking again?" They both nodded.

"Ah, I know how to wake him." Nanaba walked out of the kitchen. He returned with a pitcher of water. Turning it upside down, the water hit Eren's face.

"What the fuck!" The teen bolted upright, his face now wet. Petra sighed in relief. "What just happened?"

"My new experiment!" Hanji squatted down and gave him a thumbs-up. Eren then knew that he'll never eating her cooking again. She brought the tip of her finger to her chin. "Guess it was a failure."

"Shitty glasses, stop trying to poison everyone with your crappy food." Everyone turned to see Levi leaning against the doorway. His eyes narrowed in on the new employee, and Eren found the source of those evil glares from earlier. "Oi, shitty brat."

"Shitty?!"

"Clean yourself up. We're going to open up in less than an hour. We don't want the customers to think you're a messy idiot." With his piece said, the head server left. Eren never felt more the urge to punch someone other than horse-face idiot.

"Eren, don't take it personally." Petra squatted down. She put her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the teen.

"Yeah!" Hanji yelled. "Don't mind him! He always had a stick up his ass!"

Eren sighed, feeling his anger dying down. Once he stood up, Petra introduced the chefs. He already knew Hanji and Moblit. The blond chef was Erwin Smith, and the black-haired chef was Nile Dok. The two bartenders were Mike Zacharius and Nanaba. She told him that there were four other employees he had yet to meet.

"What's with the ruckus in here?" A man wearing a bandana and sporting a stubble entered the kitchen.

Make that three employees.

"Dita," Erwin said. "We were just acquainting ourselves with the new employee." Dita looked at Eren, who was freaked by Mike sniffing him. Hanji told him not to mind it, since he did to everyone he met for the first time.

Eren felt himself feeling overwhelmed. All of these employees were so colorful. Another realization hit him. They were all adults. There were no other teenaged employees…

Was he the youngest employee at Titan?

The new employee had a towel thrown in his face. He tore it off his face, about to yell the person off, and found three new faces at the kitchen doorway.

"Oh right! These are our bussers!" Hanji ran over to them. She pointed at them and said their names. "This is Ian Dietrich, Rico Brzenska, and Mitabi Jarnach."

"Ah, okay." Eren greeted the three, and they greeted back. Petra told him that he'll have to work as a busser. Soon, she told him the restaurant needed to open and to change into his work uniform. Once he wore a white shirt and black slacks, the female server dragged him to the bussers' station.

"Rico," she called out. The light brown haired girl with glasses turned around. "I'll leave you to teach the basics to Eren!" She nodded, and Petra left the new employee.

"Okay, follow me." Soon, Rico showed him the basics of the busser's job.

Prepare the tables with utensils and placemats…

Reset the tables once the customers leave…

Taking the dirty plates into the bins for the dishwasher…

Restock anything, such as drinks and alcoholic beverages–

"If a customer asks you to order alcohol, don't take it. Have one of the servers come over to the customer's table."

"Huh? Why? I'm underage anyway," Eren said.

"No, it's just that we usually have customers with fake IDs."

"Oh…" Continuing on with the training…

Eren learned to bring glasses of water to every new customer's table, carry the bins of dirty dishes to the back area, and thank the customers for coming. Now that he thought about it, his job sounded like his old job. Rico then brought him back the busser's station, where Ian and Mitabi were ready for business. Ian smiled at Eren, patting his shoulder. He asked, "You ready to work newbie?" Eren scowled at the newbie nickname. Nonetheless, he felt excitement pumping in his veins.

"Yeah, I think so." Mitabi walked past him.

"Good luck. The first day is always the hardest."

"Wait, what?"

* * *

Mitabi was right. Actually, Eren wondered why he took this job. It was like his custodial job, only he had to work ten times faster, and if he screwed up, many people will know of it. The pressure to do his best suddenly grew bigger at the pit of his stomach.

"Uwah!" Hanji peeked from the kitchen. The other chefs momentarily stopped to see the hectic newbie scramble around the restaurant. "Look at him go!"

Erwin realized that he didn't see the other bussers. He looked towards the busser's station and saw Ian, Rico, and Mitabi relaxing. He sighed, walking towards them and smacking the back of their heads.

"Just because he's the new employee doesn't mean he can take over your assigned areas." Erwin continued to scold them, who took the criticism to heart. The other chefs suddenly had the image of a bird chirping at its chicks.

Eren seemed less stress when he saw the other bussers around the restaurant. Nevertheless, he looked like he was about to drop. Petra walked towards him.

"Eren, you're working really hard. Also, would you like to order something?"

"Huh?" Eren was confused. "I'm not a customer."

"I know that! Our employees have a thirty minute break to eat dinner. Everyone here thought it'd be good for you to go to break first."

"Ah, okay."

"So, what would you like to order? We have…" Petra listed off the list of dishes available to eat for dinner. In the end, Eren decided to order chicken alfredo. He continued working, cleaning tables and resetting them for the next customers.

"Oi, shitty brat."

Eren was about to yell at Levi, but the whiff of his food came his way. His stomach growled before he could say anything.

"Your food's here. If you want a drink, water and iced tea are free. Anything else you have to pay with fifty cents." Levi handed him his dinner, and Eren gladly took it.

"Thanks." The head server then walked away.

"Just keep up your half-assed work, and we'll be good."

"I'm not working half-assed!" Eren yelled at him, making sure no other customer heard him. He got himself a glass of regular Coke, punched in the break, and walked over to the employees' area. He grabbed a table to himself.

The employees' area for break was the loft area upstairs. It was empty, hardly any customers. It looked over the entire restaurant. Eren looked over and saw his coworkers continue to work. It felt very odd, now that he began working here. Maybe it was because he was working at a fast pace, everything felt slower.

Working at a fast pace…it strangely suited him. Even though his custodial job was calming, it didn't sit with him with the quietness. It didn't help the case that he worked at the library. He then realized that his leg started shaking itself.

Eren sometimes hated his ADD. It caused him to struggle with school at an early age. It didn't help that he had anger problems back then too. He still has anger issues, but not to the point where he decked a person anymore (although he will deck horse-face from time to time). Still…he thought something was wrong with him at elementary school. He tried his best, but the information couldn't stick in his head. It didn't help that asshole told him that he wasn't trying hard enough.

Soon, he was taken to the doctor's and diagnosed with ADD. That asshole thought it was stupid excuse, but his mom…

_"Eren, it's okay. You're doing your best right? I can see it. Keep it up!"_

_Mom…_

"Ha…" Remembering the past left a bitter taste in his next bite. He decided to cool himself by walking it off. It always worked when he was frustrated with his homework.

As he walked past a table, teal green eyes widened at the object on the table. It was an iPhone. Eren panicked. He looked at the table. It was uncleaned, meaning that the customers already ate and decided to pay. Looking over the balcony, he saw a black-haired man wearing a black coat handing Petra money.

Without thinking, he grabbed the iPhone and dashed down the stairs. He nearly tripped and fell, but caught himself on the railings.

"Eren, are you okay?" Rico asked, seeing the incident. She was ignored as he ran towards the front door.

_THUD!_

Everyone flinched when the brunette crashed into the glass doors. Levi sighed.

"Brat, do you want to lose any brain cells?"

"Levi." The man rolled his eyes when Petra called out his name. She looked at Eren, who was sitting on the ground. He rubbed the red bruise forming on his forehead. It was a rather loud smack. "Eren, are you all right?" She flinched when he widened his eyes and tightened his hand around the object in his hand. He stood up and opened the door. "Eren?!"

"I know working here was exhausting, but I didn't think it was bad that he had to bolt during his break." Eld commented.

Meanwhile, Eren was outside, panting. He looked for the customer. He panicked when the same customer was across the street. Waiting for the lights to change, he dashed onto the street when the little white man appeared. He yelled at a stupid driver trying to make a left turn and finally caught up with the customer.

"Sir…" he panted. The man turned around. He had short side bags, light olive skin, and freckles on his face. Eren didn't think he'd look…handsome.

Time for a little fact. Eren discovered he was gay during his high school years. He found girls cute and all, but with men…The teen went through some angst until his best friend slapped it out of him and told him that it was okay to like guys. The world was changing after all, only if slightly.

The man tilted his head to the side.

"What's wrong?" Eren snapped out of his daydreaming. His face was flushed, blaming it on running, and held the iPhone towards him. "Oh!" The man took it from him. "I didn't know this was missing. Sorry and thank you for bringing it!" A swell of happiness grew inside him. Eren stood up straight and smiled.

"You're welcome." The man seemed expressionless until a small smile formed on his face. He turned around and walked away. Eren felt proud of himself. Realization hit him. He just left the restaurant without telling anyone. Will this get him fired!?

Eren returned to Titan and flinched when a pair of hands slammed down on his shoulders.

"Eren! Are you okay? What happened?" Petra ran her mouth, asking numerous of questions.

"Ah, Petra. It's okay." Eren scratched the back of his head. "A customer actually forgot his iPhone. I saw it and decided to take it back to him."

"Even on break?" Eren flushed at that. She smiled. "You have a good heart. Anyway, did you finish your dinner?"

Eren had no reply to that.


	3. A Coincidence

**Note**: I decided to do a double update! Hooray!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the AOT/SNK series. Just borrowing its characters for my amusement.

* * *

**_A Coincidence_**

Eren lazily opened his eyes on a Sunday. A whole week passed since he started working at Titan. It was very hectic. On that first night, everyone was worried about that run-in with the door. He assured his coworkers that he was fine. He apologized many times to the chefs, specifically Erwin, who made his dinner. Levi smacked upside his head.

"Brat, just finish it next time."

Eren sighed, falling backwards into his pillow. On the third day, his feet started to sore. Rico told him that it was a bad idea to wear Converse shoes while working. After all, they were running around the two story restaurant. On his last work day, he switched out with running shoes. Needless to say, he worked a lot easier in them.

Today, he waited for his manager to text him. Pixis would send a text, regarding if he'll keep the job or not. If he did, he'd send his work schedule.

_Ping!_

Eren nearly fell off his bed. A groan came from his best friend, but he ignored it as he stood up and grabbed his phone. A big smile appeared on his face.

_You'll be working at night on Monday through Friday. See you at five._

Eren silently threw his arms in the air.

"So, you're keeping the job?" Eren turned around and saw his best friend Armin awake.

"Yeah, I'm so happy!"

"That's great. Just keep your excitement down," he tiredly said, laughing as the brunette chucked a pillow at him.

Armin Arlert had been his best friend since childhood. They practically grew up together, and with Mikasa joining them later, made them the trio. Unfortunately, Mikasa parted them to attend school in northern California.

Along with Armin, most of his friends from high school attended Stohess College. They were the 104th graduating class of Shiganshina High. It was a high school in the wrong neighborhood. Eren got himself into a lot of fights and ended up in detention most of his after school time. When he wasn't, he was hanging out with his friends.

Suddenly, there was banging against his door.

"Hey, you guys awake!?"

Armin groaned into his pillow. "Connie, go away…"

"Is that any way to talk to your friend?!"

Eren checked the time. It was almost twelve. He walked over to Armin, shaking his best friend.

"Come on, let's go out."

"No, I want to sleep." Eren raised an eyebrow.

"What were you doing last night?"

"Studying." At this point, Eren ripped the blanket off his best friend.

"What the hell!" Armin yelled.

"Get your ass out of bed. Come on!"

"I hate you," Armin muttered.

"Love you too buddy," Eren said.

* * *

Once the two were dressed, Eren opened the door and saw Connie. The three teens walked downstairs and saw the rest of their friends in the lobby. They all greeted each other and decided to head out.

"So Eren, were you fired yet?" Jean asked.

"As a matter of fact, I'm now an employee of Titan." Everyone looked at Eren.

"Are you serious?" Jean asked. Even though they were rivals, he felt happy for his friend.

"Congrats Eren!" Christa patted his head.

"Are you going to treat us to discount?" Ymir asked, thinking of food.

"Hey! I just started working there!"

"Doesn't matter. You work at restaurant," Reiner said, grinning, "and as our duties as friends, we must receive discounts!"

"Reiner…" Bertholdt sighed. He was shoved to the side as Sasha grabbed Eren's hands.

"Food?!"

"Oh shit," Connie said with a smile. "Sasha has her eyes on you now."

"Sasha, I can't give out free food," Eren said.

"But food–" Annie decided to cut in.

"Anyway, let's just get lunch." Sasha returned to his cheery state, and everyone began walking again. Eren turned to the blonde.

"Thanks for getting them off my backs."

"I'm not in it for the discounts," she said, walking from Eren. "I just want to torture you when you're working there."

"Annie, really?"

The group of friends arrived at Denny's. They took up one side of the restaurant and began deciding what to eat. After almost fifteen minutes, all of their orders were taken. They soon talked about their classes and anything else in their lives. Call it a ritual among them to have a Sunday lunch together. They might see each other on campus and grab a quick bite, but that was mostly it. They would try to get together on the weekend as much as possible.

"Shit." Ymir looked at Eren. "Do we have anything due in our storyboard class?"

"Yeah, sketching a fantasy character matching a certain palette."

"Shit." Christa comforted her friend.

"I'm so glad I'm not taking any drawing courses," Jean remarked. Eren smirked at him.

"What? You scared to admit you have crappy drawings?"

"Jaeger."

"Kirstein."

"Oi, oi," Reiner said. They both flinched at the tone of his voice. If a fight broke out between the two, he was usually the one to break them up. Now he learned to stop one from happening.

"Sorry," they both apologized.

"Geez. Even though we graduated, you two still act like kids."

"Who ordered the Oreo milkshake?" A waitress came by. Reiner raised his hand.

"That'd be me."

"Who's the kid now?" Jean asked, earning a snicker from Eren.

* * *

The group finished their lunch within an hour. Most of them decided to return to their dorms, with Ymir panicking about her art assignment. Eren decided to head over to the bookstore. Armin gave him a knowing look.

"What?" he asked the blond.

"Don't forget to eat while reading manga."

"Shut up. I'll see you back at the dorms."

Everyone left, and Eren walked towards the outdoor mall. Since he was still poor, the brunette thought it was better to read manga at the bookstore. Besides, it was free and they had seating on the upper floors.

The brunette made his selection of manga and picked a seat near the window. He flinched when he felt the change in temperature. Why was the place cold every time he came here? He should brought jacket. Nonetheless, he continued reading.

He was on the seventh volume when someone spoke to him.

"Um…"

Eren looked up and was shocked. It was the customer from the other day. He didn't think he'd run into him again. Trying to hold the blush down, he spoke elegant words.

"Uh, wait…what?"

The young man let out an amused huff. "Nice to meet you again. I was wondering if I could sit there." He pointed at the seat where Eren stacked all of the read manga.

"Ah sure! Hang on!" The brunette moved all of the manga down at his feet. The black-haired man took his seat and cracked his book open. Out of curiosity, teal green eyes examined the book. It was rather thick and involved Eren's most hated subject in school: math. He made a blanched face.

"Um…" Eren snapped out of his daydreaming. The young man smiled at him. "Are you interested in reading this?"

"Ugh, no. I hate math." The brunette realized he may insulted the customer. As he mentally slapped himself, he didn't hear the young man let out a chuckle.

"It's understandable. Most people don't like math," he said. "It's essential though."

"Not in my life," Eren huffed. "Crap, why do I keep doing that."

"Hm?"

"I didn't mean to–I'm not good with words."

"It's all right, no feelings were harmed." The young man decided to hold out his hand. "My name is Marco Bodt." Eren looked at him before breaking out into a smile.

"Eren Jaeger." They shook hands. Another silence fell upon as they continued reading. It was thirty minutes later that Marco had to use the restroom. He asked Eren to save his seat, and the brunette nodded. Once he left, Eren returned to reading the manga. A few minutes later, a rather large woman appeared near the seating area.

"Young man, I'll be taking this seat."

"Wait, you can't." She gave him a look.

"Why not? There are no other seats!" It was true. The other seats in the seating area were occupied. Still, Eren needed to defend Marco's seat.

"My friend is in the restroom. He'll be right back."

"Lies! You're just using this chair for your books!" The woman pointed at the thick book, which Marco was reading earlier. "It's very rude and inconsiderate!"

"I'm not lying!" Eren was trying to hold himself back. He really wanted to deck the lady, but he didn't want to get in trouble.

"I'm going call security–"

"Sorry, but it is my seat." Marco appeared behind the lady. "Please don't accuse people on the spot and make yourself the victim." Eren never felt more relieved in his life and so satisfied when the lady stuttered before excusing herself to find another seat somewhere else. Marco sighed and took his seat again. He smiled at the brunette. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must have ruined your day."

Eren looked to the side. "She almost did…thanks."

"For what?"

"Even though we just met," Eren said, "thanks for defending me."

"No problem."

The two young men found themselves immersed in reading. Around six, as the sun was setting, Eren finished two manga series and Marco let out a big sigh after finishing the book. Eren was astonished. He'd probably fall asleep at the first few pages. The freckled man then stood up, holding the book by his side.

"Well, I should get something to eat." Marco looked at Eren. "How about you? Wanna grab a bite with me?"

"Huh? I'm not–" At that moment, his stomach decided to make itself known and growled. A light blush decorated Eren's cheeks. "Ah, damn it. Guess I'm hungry."

"I'll treat you."

"What–No, that's okay! I can–"

"You defended my seat. Even though it doesn't seem much, it does to me. Please?" Eren cursed himself for being gay. It wasn't fair for Marco to look so good when asking him to join him. Well, the freckled man didn't seem the type to budge on his offers. The brunette stood up, but before they left, Marco picked up all of the manga.

"Huh, what are you doing?"

"I feel bad for the employees to pick up all of these books. The least we can do is put them back, right?"

"But that's their job."

"Come on Eren."

"…What are you, a saint?"

* * *

The two found themselves at Johnny Rockets. They sat at the booth. The waitress gave two menus and went on her way.

"Ah man, are you sure you're willing to pay for me? I'm a poor-ass college student." Marco smiled.

"Absolutely. I have enough money."

"Just wondering…" Eren first thought about his words carefully. He didn't want to insult the freckled man. While his eyes were on the menu, he asked, "How old are you?"

"Oh, I'm eighteen. I'm attending Trost University." If Eren was drinking water, he'd probably spit it out of shock. Instead, he opted to widened his eyes. Trost University was one of the best universities in the country. If one were to compare it to Stohess College, it was like comparing a diamond to a rock. "Where do you attend?"

"…Stohess College," Eren muttered. He suddenly felt stupid.

"Oh, one of my friends attends that place. From what he tells me, it's very interesting. He told me that he has an interesting group of friends."

"Maybe. What are you majoring? It's probably related to math, judging from that thick book from earlier."

"I'm studying to be an architect."

Eren decided to look, already picked his choices of food. "Why an architect?"

Marco stopped looking at the menu and looked at Eren. He said, "I liked building things since I was little. I even tried to build the tallest building out of legos. Unfortunately, they all crashed. Now that I'm older, I'd like to make something that won't fall and so people can use it."

The brunette had nothing to say. He felt his respect for the freckled man grow. When he was little, he'd usually wreck things. Sometimes on purpose, and not at other times.

"What about you? What are you majoring at Stohess College?" Eren suddenly felt ashamed of his major. Even though he loved it with a passion, he felt like it'd be childish compared to Marco's major. The freckled man sensed the uncomfortableness from the brunette. "You don't have to tell me."

"No," Eren suddenly said. "It's just…I'm majoring in game design." There, he said it. Now Marco can laugh at him.

"People can major in game design now? That's amazing!" The teal green-eyed teen was taken aback. He shifted his eyes downward. "Is something wrong?"

"Well," Eren began quietly. "most people would think it's risky and that I should pick something else. But…I really want to make video games. They were the only things I was good at when I was little. I didn't do well at school, and I was so-so at sports. So, when I had a Gameboy in my hands, I felt…I mean, finally! Something I could do right!" Eren realized he let some of his past talk through his mouth. He grew quiet. Marco gave him a reassuring smile.

"I think that's really cool. You're like me, wanting to do something you're passionate about. I see nothing wrong about it."

Eren stared at Marco for several seconds. He broke out a grin, feeling a wave of happiness wash over him. It was true. Video games saved his life. It was the only source where he felt he did his best and it actually paid off. It felt so rewarding when he was at a time where he failed at everything. It was a light in his dark days.

"Hey, Eren."

"Huh?"

"Are you ready to order?" Eren found the waitress back at their table, holding a notepad and a pen. Marco stared at him.

_Damn A.D.D._

* * *

"Whew!" Eren patted his stomach. "That was delicious. And thanks again Marco!" He looked at the freckled man, who just walked through the doors. The young man smiled back.

"It was no problem. Glad you enjoyed it."

"I should be heading back," Eren said. "It's really late." The brunette pulled out his phone and found many messages from Armin. They were all concerning when he got back to the dorm. He quickly texted his best friend that he'd back soon.

"I actually should be thanking you," Marco suddenly said. Eren looked at him.

"Wait, what for?"

"I was actually feeling lonely."

"Eh? But you seem like the type to have many friends. In fact, I'm surprised you aren't dating."

"To be honest, I broke up with my girlfriend last week." Everything suddenly froze around the two college students. Marco continued talking, as Eren was in silent shock. "We broke up at your restaurant. Maybe that's why I was so out of it that I forgot my phone." The brunette didn't register the news at all. In his mind, the word girlfriend rung very loudly. Marco had a girlfriend, meaning that he was straight.

_Ah, I set myself up for that…_

Eren lowered his head, saying, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't opened my big mouth."

"It's fine." Marco wore a sad smile. Eren knew that smile. It was one of regret. The freckled teen must have really liked that girlfriend of his. It was fine. He was fine being with Marco's friend. With that in his mind, the brunette patted Marco's back.

"It's all right. You'll find someone else right?" Eren gave out a small smile. "Just let time take care of it."

"Yeah," Marco finally said. "I had a good night. I'll see you around." Soon, the two college students parted ways.


End file.
